Grey Tale
by Penguin Jinchou
Summary: A strange woman with a grey tail crash lands onto Earth, how will everyone's favourite Namik react? And what will happen when she claims to be Vegeta's guard. Story is better than the summary. Rated T just to be safe in future chapters
1. Chapter 1: Crash Landing

**Miko: HEY GUYS, MIKO HERE! This is Miko's very first DBZ fanfic and Miko's very _second_ fancic, Miko's first one isn't finished just by the way, but this idea came into Miko's head before Miko could :) **

**Chiko: Disclaimer, I do not own DBZ or any characters in it, not even Vegeta, no matter how much I love him!**

**Enjoy :)**

**(Oh and if you're wondering about the whole Miko and Chiko thing, my profile will explain)**

* * *

><p>It's been nearly three months since the inhabitants on a planet I landed on told me that Prince Vegeta was on a planet called Earth filled with a species less powerful than us Sayans. I frowned –though it took a lot of effort on my part because of all the cuts and bruises from the last fight I had a couple of days before and didn't have time to attend them – as I wondered yet again what he would want with a bunch of <em>humans<em>? Of course I was brought up to never question the motives of royalty, but it still struck me as odd.

Finally I saw the big blue-green planet and heaved a heavy sigh of relief, the very reason for my existence was so close now it seemed too good to be true. All of a sudden, however, the alarm went off I groaned in frustration as I realised that in all the mayhem and havoc that had occurred on the last planet I was on, I'd completely forgotten to refuel. It was so stupid of me, I couldn't believe my foolishness. It was just that I was so exhausted after all these years of travelling, and the thought of Earth being so close was incredibly refreshing instead of being 'celestially nomadic', moving from planet to planet, not having a real home. And after that last gruelling battle I had, I couldn't wait to get away, I was lucky to have gotten out of that planet alive.

"Low fuel tank," the computer said. "Please refuel."

_Well I would if I had any,_ I thought in irritation. The blue planet was a lot closer now. "Please, please don't run empty before I get there," I prayed. It couldn't end like this, not when I was so close to my goal. The capsule then began to shake violently as I got nearer to Earth, not that I could blame it. After years of running without anything more than five or six check-ups, it was probably as fed up as I was.

I pushed the lever forward and press down on the accelerator. The capsule shook even more violently in protest, but I was adamant that I at least got to Earth before I died. "Come on," I muttered, trying to pull the lever. It wouldn't budge because I was too weak at the time to make it move and because this was an incredibly stubborn machine to work with.

Suddenly, it gave an unexpected jolt and my rib crashed to the side of the capsule. A splitting pain came from my side and when I put my hand on it, I felt something wet and sticky. _Great, could anything get any worse?_ I asked. That was when the computer finally said, "Now entering Earth." So the giant jolt meant we had impacted the Earth's atmosphere. I growled, I was happy we finally made it, but incredibly angry that it cost me at least two of my ribs. Then the lights began to dim.

"Fuel tank empty," the computer said. "All systems down."

"What" I asked as I helplessly tried to hit the break. Sure, I was glad that I finally made it to Earth, but gravity being my enemy, I was now hurtling towards the ground at hundred miles an hour. "Damn!" I exclaimed. I was so close and yet so far. As the surface came closer I began praying to whatever gods they had on this planet to make sure nothing bad would happen to me before I could get to him. After all these years, I was afraid that I would never reach my goal. I opened my eyes, the ground was incredibly close, it wouldn't be too long now. I didn't want to see anymore so I shut my eyes tight and braced myself.

I don't remember the explosion.

I don't remember the pain.

I don't remember slipping from consciousness.

I do remember being in a dreamlike state. Was I knocked out, or dead? I didn't know, I didn't _want_ to know. Sometimes the truth was just too much to bear.

They say that before you die your entire life flashes before your eyes. I remember seeing a slideshow of my entire life, my accomplishments, my failures – there were a lot of those. I practically kicked myself as I realised that I wasted my entire life for a man I had never even met before? How did I even know if he was still alive? My entire life seemed ridiculous now.

"She looks like she's waking up," I heard a voice say. Though it was strange that there somebody else, I was grateful for hearing avoice that wasn't mine or the cursed capsule's. I wondered whether it was an angel that was going to escort me to heaven or some demon escorting me to . . . I want to think of that possiblity.

"Her breathing seems normal," another voice said, it was distinctly female. Only then did I realise that I was still alive, so I peeled my eyes open.

* * *

><p><strong>End of Chapter 1! YAY! I am so happy! I've already written the second chapter so if you want to read it, pls R&amp;R. :) If you want to be a great help to me in the story, please tell me how old Vegeta was when he left his planet and how old he is when he and Goku defeat Buu, it doesn't have to be accurate just a basic guesstimate will be fine. There has to be at least three reviews before I post the second chapter and the people who do review I will thank them personally in the next chapter, I don't like writing stories for people who wont read:) <strong>

**Miko: Tank you for weading da stowi**

**Chiko: R&R or else!**


	2. Chapter 2: awakening

**Chapter 2**

**Miko: Hey guys, Miko here! (not real name or nickname, see my extremely short profile if you want an explanation) This is the second chapter to Miko's first DBZ story, Miko really hopes you enjoy it!**

**Chiko: The first chapter was in the girl's POV, but the rest of the story is in a general POV unless I say otherwise. ****Disclaimer: as much as I hate to admit it, I don't own DBZ or any of the characters in it, no matter how many times I called the owner asking to buy the company with my entire life savings XD**

* * *

><p>"She looks like she's waking up," Piccolo said. He had offered to help out, but Vegeta knew that the only reason he had offered was because he was just as curious as he was to know what a female Saiyan soldier was doing on Earth.<p>

Bulma took a closer look at the girl. "Her breathing seems normal," she reported.

After a few more minutes, the girl's eyes fluttered open and turned her head to face the three of them. "Where am I?" she managed to whisper.

Piccolo frowned. "We'll be asking the questions, who are you?"

The girl ignored him as she tried to get up and out of the bed, then a sharp pain pierced her side and she gasped. Bulma pushed her gently back on the bed. "You're not fit to stand!" she said, but not fiercely.

The girl scowled at her. "You're a . . . human," she said. "I don't have to . . . listen to," but an overwhelming weakness took over her body and she fell back in exhaustion on the overstuffed pillows.

Piccolo crossed his arms. "Who are you?" he asked again.

The girl sighed. "Rinslet," she said in defeat. "But before I . . . left my planet . . . I was Kyoko." She closed her eyes as the pain in her ribs began to throb. "I'm a Saiyan soldier."

Vegeta looked at her. He figured as much already from the Saiyan battle armour she was wearing, but her hair was fiery red and her tail was an ashy grey, certainly not like any Saiyan he had ever seen. How could the General of a Saiyan army appoint a girl that looked so different without his knowledge?

"Not officially," Rinslet or Kyoko or whatever her name was, said. "Kairu told me . . . that I had to start out as a guard." She laughed humourlessly. "My first mission was to . . . protect the Saiyan Prince Vegeta, but . . . I don't think I'm capable to protect anyone in this state."

Vegeta leant on the wall. "You mean to tell me that they sent a female to protect me?" he asked. "That's got to be the biggest load of bull I've ever heard."

Rinslet looked at Vegeta. "Please forgive me . . . I didn't know it was you." She tried to get up again, but Bulma pushed her down.

"Listen to the woman if you have any intention of feeling better," he said. Rinslet sighed, but couldn't protest.

"Now, how did you get off our planet before Frieza destroyed it?" he asked.

Rinslet sighed again. "It feels like a past life," she said. "And to think, nearly fourteen years have gone by." She closed her eyes as she recalled her past. "I was thirteen at the time. Our planet had reached the height of the war. General Kairu was particularly concerned for my safety, after all I was the only 'soldier' with no real battle experience. During the war, he practically forbade me from leaving my house. I knew where he was coming from, it's just I wish he had given me a chance. What better way to hone my skills than to fight in a war? But no, he had said, I was too precious. The days grew into weeks and the war just seemed to be getting worse on our part. Then the day came when Frieza was going to kill us all. General Kairu knew what was going to happen and woke me up early one morning saying there was a working capsule that he had saved for emergencies and I needed to use it. He said that I had a mission: to go and find Vegeta and be his guard, wherever he was. I wanted to decline, but when I saw the look of anxiety in his eyes. He didn't _want_ me to go he _needed_ me to go, so I agreed. When we went to the capsule, he hugged me tightly and told me that he was proud to be called my mentor, that my parents would be proud of me too. Then he pushed me inside and started the engine." She paused for a moment as if she was reliving the memory. "Of course I knew how to operate a capsule, it was a major requirement on the training program. I knew that being a guard was just an excuse for him to make sure I was okay, but I felt like I was betraying him somehow if I didn't do just that. I mean, I must've been worth _something_ if he tried so hard to save me like that, right?"

Vegeta crossed his arms. "How do you know Kairu?"

Rinslet thought hard. "Apparently he was a good friend of my father's and I had visited him every day without fail when I was little."

"Apparently?" Piccolo asked, speaking up.

Rinslet shrugged. "I never knew my father. He was alive, I did know that, but I never knew who he was. Kairu said if I did, things could get . . . complicated."

"Complicated how?" Vegeta asked.

"I don't know," Rinslet replied. "He never said why."

Bulma took a wet towel and dabbed it on her forehead. "And your mother?"

"She died when I was, I don't know, to or three years old, not nearly old enough for me to remember her," she said with a blasé shrug, but moaned in pain when her ribs hurt. "Doesn't this planet have some kind of instant remedy for these cursed ribs?" she growled.

Bulma shook her head. "Sorry to disappoint, but you're going to have to stay in bed."

"Bedridden?" Rinslet asked in disgust. "I'd rather die than be stuck in bed all day doing nothing. I've been doing that for most of my life. Please?" she begged. If she had the strength, she would have gone on her knees.

"I'm sorry, but the Regenerating Capsule is-"

"You have an R-C?" Rinslet asked sitting up. "What's wrong with it?"

The blue haired woman shrugged. "I don't know. I need to run through a scan. Until then, STAY IN BED," she warned firmly. They all began to leave the room, but Rinslet noticed this.

"Where're you going?" she asked in panic.

"I'll be training," Vegeta said.

"I'll be telling Goku that you're okay," Piccolo added.

Bulma checked her watch. "And I'll be looking at that R-C," she said.

Rinslet began panicking. "But . . . whose gonna make sure I'm okay?" she asked, trying her best to sound calm. "You know, if I lose consciousness?" She didn't want them to know that the real reason she didn't want them to go was because she, a Saiyan soldier, was afraid of being alone.

Vegeta considered for a second. "Piccolo, stay with her."

Piccolo frowned, but stayed where he was as the two of them left the room. He sat down on a chair and looked at Rinslet. "I've never seen a female Saiyan with red hair," he muttered.

Rinslet smiled. "Well I'm one of a kind," she said with pride. "The only surviving female Saiyan soldier left in the entire universe." Then she paused as she pondered his looks for a second. "You're a Namik, aren't you?" she asked. It had been on her mind she laid her yes on him.

"Yeah," Piccolo said, sitting back in his seat.

Rinslet grinned broadly. "You know, when I was a kid, my dream was to be a Namik." She chuckled. "It's so stupid, I know, but I heard your planet was one of the most beautiful in the galaxy. I know it's weird, but I ended up falling in love with a planet I had never even seen before and its inhabitants."

"But you're a Saiyan," Piccolo said in surprise.

Rinslet looked at her hands. "Yeah, don't get me wrong, Saiyans are a great people to be part of. We're loyal, powerful and vicious, but there was something about green skin and antennae that seemed more intriguing."

Piccolo snorted. "It's not all that it's cut out to be , trust me."

The red head sighed. "I suppose that nobody never really is satisfied with who they are, huh?"

Piccolo contemplated the red haired Saiyan soldier for a moment. "Why didn't you want us to leave you? _The truth_." he added before she could protest.

"But I already told you-" she began.

"That was a lie, you and I both know it," he said.

Rinslet exhaled loudly as she hesitated. She felt that she could rely the Namik, she knew they were extremely trustworthy race. "Would you believe that I'm afraid of being alone?" she asked slowly.

Piccolo was confused. "But you were in that capsule by yourself."

She shook her head vigorously. "No, I had the computer and anyway I was able to whoop anybody's ass if they laid a finger on me. I mean right now, _really_ alone. I don't what it is, but I feel. . ." she trailed off.

"Vulnerable?" the Namik offered.

"Yeah," she said sadly, looking at the ceiling. "I'm a disgrace to my entire race, female or not."

Piccolo didn't know what to say. In many ways, Rinslet was like Vegeta. She had that same pride when she was talking about being a soldier or guard or whatever. He was pretty sure that she would've taken a bullet for her planet if given the chance.

"Piccolo?" she asked. When he looked up at her, she bit her lip before speaking. "I'm going to sleep now. Promise you won't leave me alone? Promise you won't abandon me?"

She could see the Namik was irritated. "You're acting like a kid."

Rinslet frowned. "I'm going to hold your hand, Piccolo, and if you dare leave my side," she smirked, "I'll hunt you down, kill you then bring you back to life so I can have the pleasure of killing you again."

She sounded incredibly serious and Piccolo didn't know how to react at first, was this the same girl as the one literally five seconds ago? But then he saw the desperation in her eyes and realised that she was petrified. Sighing, he held out his and Rinslet took it with a smile before drifting off.

The Namik didn't know what to make of this. Sure people had needed him before, but not like this, not as intimately as this girl needed him. Rinslet had said that she had always wanted to go to his planet, that she loved its inhabitants. _She didn't just say she loved me, did she_, he asked, but shook his head, the idea was ludicrous in itself. Turning his attention back to Rinslet, he saw for the first time since they met a peaceful look on her face and wondered if that was what angels looked like when they were sleeping. You know, if they had red hair and a grey tail. He didn't know how long he had stared at her, but next thing he knew, Bulma stormed into the room, grease smudged all over her face and with a handkerchief in her hand, she was wiping it off. She tossed a chin in Rinslet's direction.

"I see you're getting acquainted," she said.

Piccolo shook his head. "It's not what it looks like."

Bulma smiled. "Really? So you _weren't_ checking her pulse, cuz that sure looked like that was what you were doing to me, but if you insist-"

"No! I mean, yes I'm just taking her pulse," Piccolo spluttered in slight panic.

The blue haired woman rolled her eyes. "Chill Piccolo, I was just kidding, jeez."

Piccolo felt his face becoming warm. It was rare for him to blush so why was he doing it now?

Bulma checked the machines and monitors in case something was wrong. Then, with a satisfied nod, she began leaving the room, but not before turning and saying, "Oh and Piccolo, you don't need to check for her pulse forever, we _do_ have a monitor you know . . . unless you have _other_ intentions," she said with a wink before leaving.

Piccolo ignored Bulma's last comment and focused back on Rinslet, wondering why she had changed her name from Kyoko. It was a pretty name, it suited her.

An hour or so later, Goku waltzed into the room and saw the girl. "She okay?" he asked

The Namik nodded. "Yeah, she's just asleep," he responded.

"And you're holding her hand because . . .?" asked Goku.

Piccolo cursed in his head. He was holding a girl's hand, so what? Was there anyone on this planet that wasn't the least bit judgemental? **(A/N: no, I don't think so either)**

"She asked me to," he growled. Goku grinned, and the Namik sighed. _Here we go . . . _

"Well if you two wanted to be alone-" he began with a chuckle.

"It's not like that," Piccolo nearly shouted. He then forced his voice to lower in volume. "Why're you here anyway?" he asked, anxiously changing the subject.

Goku's eyes widened. "Oh yeah!" he said, digging through his pockets. "I've got some Sensu beans for her. I figured that since the R-C wasn't working, we could use these instead."

There was a mumbling noise coming from Rinslet. "Own 't done ill ya, im tryna seep." **(A/N: translation, Tone it down will you, I'm trying to sleep)**

Goku looked at her. "We brought you something to eat."

Rinslet was incredibly drowsy. "Wha . . .?" she asked, scratching her eyes.

Goku handed her the Sensu bean. "Here, eat this. It'll make you feel better," he said with a broad smile.

She looked at Piccolo, wondering if she could trust the strange man. He nodded in encouragement so she took the bean from Goku and swallowed it like a pill, the pain already seeming to become insignificant. "Hey, I feel a lot better!" she said brightly. Then she realised that her left hand was still being wrapped around Piccolo's. "You stayed?" she asked.

The Namik shrugged, "My life was on the line," he joked.

* * *

><p><strong>Chiko: End of chapter 2! Aha! So what will happen? Will fall she for Vegeta? (YEAH RIGHT! Like I could ever do that, I'm a Bulma and Vegeta fan forever!) And is there more to this woman's dark and mysterious past than she claims to be? Its all just so scandalous! You all want to know what's going to happen, but I won't upload until I get my reviews, this time i was kind but now i am completely serious. i have written this story until chapter 6, U HAVE TO R&amp;R TO READ IT. u have been warned<strong>

**Miko: MIKO OUT, Peace! :) **


	3. Fights and Introductions

**Miko: hey guys, miko here (I say again, look at my profile). As promised, here is Chapter 3 of Grey Tale, tank you for being so patient with miko and chiko.**

**Chiko: please R&R**

**Miko: R&R?**

**Chiko: Read & Review**

**Miko: Oh….. anyway, time for the disclaimer!**

**Chiko: iwuvpenguins101 does not, in any way, own DBZ or its characters except for Rinslet/Kyoko, no matter how much she begged the owner of the show to let her buy it with all the tooth fairy money she had so desperately saved.**

**iwuvpenguins101: He was incredibly rude**

**Chiko: *rolls eyes* okay so please read and ENJOY chapter 3 of Grey Tale.**

**Miko: AND DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW! I feel like we're forgetting something….**

**iwuvpenguins101: OH YEAH! My usual sentence. If you wuz wondering, I do wuv penguins, theyz fluffy :)**

* * *

><p>Rinslet was up and about by the next day, but now that she knew she didn't need to protect Vegeta, it felt like her entire life was in vain. She stayed at Bulma's place and was visited by Piccolo every other day. Vegeta was also curious about the girl, to know who her father was.<p>

One day when Piccolo came to see her, he found Rinslet lying down on the grass, her fiery red hair spread everywhere like a bonfire as she gazed up into the sky. That was when he asked her why she changed her name.

"Well," she began, "I didn't want anyone to know who I was, or which planet I had come from. I didn't know who my friends or enemies where at the time, so when on the first planet I landed on they asked my name I told them to call me whatever they wanted and they named me Rinslet which means roughly _wandering spirit_ or something in their language and it's been my alias since."

The Namek nodded. "And your red hair? I thought all Saiyans had black hair."

Rinslet nodded. "We do."

"So yours is different because…?"

Rinslet threw her head back and began laughing hysterically. "I'm sorry," she said between chuckles. "I just thought it was so _obvious_, considering you knew two Saiyans already." When Piccolo gave her his, _I am not amused_ look, Rinslet forced herself to calm down. "Red hair dye. I liked the way I looked." She sighed as she twirled a few strands between her fingers. "But I'm dying it back to black. I miss the way looked…"

Piccolo didn't know what to say. He was always finding himself at a loss for words when he was with Rinslet.

"I guess I should start calling myself Kyoko again, huh?" she asked. "I liked it when people called me that. Especially since it's the name my mother gave me. Don't you think it's a beautiful name?"

Piccolo closed his eyes and breathed in deeply. "Yeah…Kyoko."

She blinked at him in surprise, and then smiled warmly. She didn't know what, but there was something about the way he said her name that made her blush slightly.

"Hey Rinslet!" she heard Vegeta yell.

The girl whipped her head around and saw the Saiyan prince beckoning for her to go to him. She got up and dusted herself off. "Thanks for coming over Piccolo, I know you can be really busy."

He shrugged. "I needed the break."

Rinslet felt kind of disappointed. She had never seen the Namik smile her entire stay on that planet. "I guess I better leave, his highness awaits," she said jokingly. After smiling goodbye, she dashed off across the yard to find Vegeta holding her Saiyan battle armour and tossed it to her.

She caught it in confusion. "What's going on?" she asked, her green eyes looking at it in puzzlement.

"You call yourself a Saiyan soldier," he replied. "Quite frankly, I think the only way to see you really are one and not just some intruder is to see the way you fight."

_I was appointed a Saiyan _guard_, not a soldier,_ she thought in annoyance. She hesitated when she felt the weight of it in her hands. The last time she was in a fight she was nearly killed. But that was only because she was weak and heavily outnumbered.

"Okay," she said after a while. "You're on."

When she got back changed in her armour, Vegeta smirked. "I'm not gonna go easy on you just because you're a girl," he warned.

"Wasn't counting on it," Rinslet said back. She hardly got time to defend herself, however, when Vegeta started attacking her left, right and centre. He wasn't lying when he said he wasn't gonna go easy on her, his punches were like being hit repeatedly with a bullet. Rinslet couldn't possibly defend herself so in the end she punched him back, but he saw it coming so he blocked and countered so quickly that she didn't know what happened.

_I wasn't expecting to win, but this is ridiculous,_ she thought to herself. _I can't even get a single punch in!_

She carried on her pathetic attempts to get _something_ in, but to no avail, and she was beginning to get bruises on her bruises in addition to the fact at her limbs were aching like crazy from throwing punches and kicks that _weren't going in._

Luckily for her, Bulma chose the moment in time to come out of the house with grease all over her face, declaring, "It's finished."

Vegeta paused his mad frenzy for a while to look at his wife. "What?"

"The R-C, it's working now," she explained.

When Rinslet saw that the Saiyan prince was distracted, she used it to her advantage as she kicked him in the gut with such force that he went flying. The red head blinked in surprise when she realised what she had done as she heard the loud 'thump' when he hit the floor.

"What's that you were saying about the R-C?" she asked Bulma after getting over her shock.

Vegeta got up, growling. "I demand a rematch."

She turned to the prince with a look of innocence on her face. "But I won-"

"You attacked me when I was distracted," he pointed out.

Rinslet sniffed. "It was your own fault for being distracted in the first place," she pointed out.

Vegeta did nothing except glare at her before stalking back to the house and making sure he emphasised his anger by slamming the door behind him.

The blue haired technician sighed. "He's got a short temper, but I love him anyway," she said. "You better get ready, I'm hosting a little party in your honour this evening."

"Wha-?" Rinslet asked in confusion.

"The other Z fighters will be there, they're so anxious to meet the female Saiyan warrior."

Rinslet hesitated before asking, "Will. . .Piccolo be there?"

Bulma nodded. "Yeah sure, he's a Z fighter too."

When she turned to go back inside, the Saiyan stopped her. "Bulma do you, by any chance, have any black hair dye?"

The woman seemed puzzled by the question. "Sure, in the bathroom." *** **

"Thanks!" the young girl said as she ran into the house.

After a couple of hours, Rinslet's hair was finally dry and she looked at herself in the mirror, seeing for the first time how _old_ she looked. She was certain that she wasn't this tall when she first stepped into the capsule, and surely her face was a little bit chubbier back then? The Saiyan had considered cutting her hair to chin length, the way she liked it as a child, but decided against it. No, she would take this one step at a time.

"Rinslet! The guys are here!" Bulma called from downstairs.

"I'll be right there!" she yelled back. The Saiyan was still in her battle armour so she changed into the clothes Bulma had given her: a pair of denim shorts and a plain white t-shirt. She didn't know how humans could wear these without worrying about an alien invasion of some kind, but chose not to argue. Among many things she was certain of, she would never understand earthlings and their clothing.

After dressing, Rinslet rushed down the staircase and followed the laughter and talking that seemed to be coming from outside. Her nose picked up the delicious smell of noodles and rice and led her out the house where she saw Bulma talking to some other lady with dark hair like her own, but shorter and straighter. She also saw Vegeta to talking to the man she saw the first day she woke up, Goku, not only him but some other men as well that she didn't recognise, but where was Piccolo? Without him she felt massively out of place, and as if to make things worse, Goku turned around and saw her.

"Hey Rinslet! You dyed your hair!" he yelled, and everybody stopped talking to stare at her. This made her even more uncomfortable. If there was one thing she hated more than being left out, it was being the centre of attention in a flood of unfamiliar faces.

One of the men, a short guy compared to the others, spoke first. "She dyed her hair?"

"It used to be red," Bulma explained.

Rinslet wrung her fingers together and managed a polite 'hello'.

Her tail had a nasty habit of swishing around when she was nervous, and it got annoying when she was trying to be inconspicuous.

"So Goku was right, you _do_ have a tail," the dark haired woman said.

Rinslet nodded meakly. Where was Piccolo? With his green skin and weird clothes he would have been impossible to miss. And if he didn't show up? What then?

"Sorry I'm late," a deep, familiar voice said. The Saiyan heaved a sigh of relief, she could relax.

"Piccolo!" she said gratefully when he came in from behind her.

He glanced at her. "You dyed your hair," he said frankly.

She nodded back eagerly. "Mm-hm! I wanted people to see the real me, what I _really_ look like. I was considering cutting my hair but…" and she carried on talking brightly to the Namik.

Krillin watched the exchanged with confusion. "Anybody else see a complete difference in her personality as soon as Piccolo walked in?" he whispered.

Goku shrugged. "Piccolo brings out a different side to her."

Krillin heard the female Saiyan laughing. At what? It couldn't be Piccolo because, well, he just didn't have that much of a sense of humour.

"She also seems to bring out a different side to Piccolo," Goku continued. "I was wondering why he was in a good mood lately, and I think it's because of her.

Krillin was staring at her intently. "She's definitely something else if she can only be here for a few days and put Piccolo in a good mood."

They all agreed.

"Hiya!" Rinslet said from behind them which made them jump. Had she heard any of their conversation? "I'm Kyoko," she continued, the glanced quickly at Piccolo. "Officially. I decided to change my name back to my original one, the one my parents gave me. I know we kind of got off to a bad start, but if you could forgive me, I've been away from society for so long I get kind of nervous. I just hope we can be friends."

Yep, Krillin concluded, you could see a distinct change in her personality, there was no doubt about it. He then noticed that she was holding onto Piccolo's arm, which she tugged hard in irritation.

"What?" the Namik asked in annoyance.

Rinslet, or Kyoko, gestured to their direction. "Introduce me to your friends, Picks."

Picks? _That_ was new. Nobody ever gave Piccolo a nickname, he was just too uptight. But much to Krillin's surprise, the Namik didn't protest.

"That's Krillin," he began. "Over there is Chichi, Goku's wife," he said referring to the woman talking to Bulma. "The kids there Goten, Goku's son, and Trunks, Vegeta's son, you just haven't seen him because he was staying over at Goku's place for a while. And that," he said now pointing to the older boy, "is Gohan, Goku's oldest. The other Z fighters couldn't make it for their own reasons.

Kyoko nodded. "Let's go play with the kids!" she said eagerly, trying to pull the Namik away from his friends.

"But I –" he began to protest, but then the Saiyan soldier pouted and her eyes started to get all big and watery.

"Please?"

If there was one thing Kyoko knew Piccolo couldn't resist, it was her puppy face. It was a trick she used with Kairu back in the day and was glad to know that it had the same effect on the Namik.

Piccolo succumbed with s sigh. "Okay, let's go."

She hugged him tightly then proceeded to drag him. "Thanks Picks! Now, come _on!"_

Piccolo followed her, leaving Krillin with Goku and Vegeta (who hadn't said a word since her arrival, probably still bitter about her taking advantage of his distraction). The short, confused man looked at the two of them."Does anyone else see anything going on there…?" he asked.

There was an awkward silence between the three of them as they looked at Kyoko dragging a helpless Piccolo across the garden. Then, of course, Goku burst into hysterical laguhter. _"Really?_ Piccolo and Kyoko?" he asked, and tears began streaming down his face as he bent over, laughing harder than he probably ever had in his life. "I'm sorry, but Piccolo just doesn't seem…" and by this time he was literally rolling on the floor, laughing.

Even Vegeta managed a chuckle as Krillin scratched his head in embarrassment for merely _mentioning_ those two being together. "Yeah, I guess so," he said with a smile. "It's highly unlikely that Piccolo would ever end up with her, Namik aside, they're so different."

Goku's hysterics finally died down. "Exactly," he agreed.

The laughter was heard all across the garden. Piccolo didn't understand how or why it was possible, but he was being dragged around by Kyoko. He was finding it more and more difficult to say no to her and he didn't know why.

When the two of them finally got to Gohan, she gave him her signature grin. "Hey, watcha' doing?"

Gohan turned and returned her smile. "Hi, Trunks and Goten here are just training."

"What's it to you?" Trunks asked.

It was strange how the boys reminded her so much of herself before she left her planet. Kyoko smiled as she remembered sneaking out of the house to meet Kairu early in the morning to train. She was so eager to learn; it was her ultimate goal was to become a Saiyan soldier and those training sessions were definitely worth it.

"OW, DAMN IT!" she yelled suddenly. Trunks had snuck up behind her and pulled her tail, and it didn't feel good. "My tail! Who do you think you are, pulling my tail like that?" she asked in agonized pain.

"I tried to stop him, but he wouldn't listen," Goten said.

Kyoko frowned. "My tail's my entire life. It's the only sentimental object I have from my planet."

"It's just a tail," Trunks muttered.

Piccolo growled. "She told you not to touch it."

Kyoko stopped straightening her tail and looked at the Namik. "It's okay," she said in reassurance. "It wasn't hurt _too_ bad, at least it still works." Her tail twisted as if to comply. "Sorry for barking at you like that, Trunks. I didn't mean to."

The boy gaped at her. _She _was apologising to _him?_ What was this world coming to?

Kyoko smiled and gave her tail a final twist before looking at Piccolo. "I'm going to go get some rest," she said. "Tell Bulma that I've gone to bed early, so she won't have to worry about food." She stretched and yawned loudly, it was strange how she reminded Piccolo so much of a cat. "I'll see you tomorrow then," she said as she began to walk away, but then stopped on her tracks as if receiving a last thought. "And Piccolo?"

He looked up at her.

"Thanks," she said.

And she left a confused Namik outside with the rest of them as she went upstairs to her bed.

* * *

><p><strong>*(AN: NO, I don't know what Bulma would be doing with black hair dye in her bathroom. I'm leaving that up to your imagination)**

**Miko: And that was Chapter 3. Thank you for reading, now please review.**

**Chiko: are any of the characters OOC? It feels like it. If you think they are, please review and tell us ways to improve that. It could really help us and boost your reading experience. **

**Miko: Oh, and iwuvpenguins101 has the basic plot written down, but won't mind any extra bonus chapters if you want. So just PM her some ideas and if it won't shake the plot too much, she'll try her best to write them**

**iwuvpenguins101: and if you were wondering, yes I wuv penguins, theyz fluffy :)**


End file.
